Sure, Underhill, I'll have a kir royale for you! I can tell I'm going to be feeling good on this trip!

Qu'est-ce que c'est "Lillet", svp?

Lillet is a French aperitif wine that has sort of an herb flavor, and you drink it chilled with a little orange peel or lime.
I dilute mine a little with some Perrier and drink it in a wine glass on the rocks-- It's really good, and refreshing!

They have a website with lots of cocktail recipes:
http://www.lillet.com

Wren, lillet is a french apertif from Bordeaux fortified with armagnac, fruit herbs and the Bordeaux wine. White is thwe most common, but we drink alot of the red.

Merci, Marcy et Cigalechanta. We will be in the Bordeaux area in a month, and now because of you I will have a clue when I see this on the menu. I will definitely give it a try. I wasn't too crazy about pastis in Provence, so hopefully I will like this better!

Speaking of Lillet, how is it pronounced, "Lee-lay" ou "Lee-eh." We had our first encounter with this liquid nectar last evening (it was brought as a gift by a houseguest), and we are curious.

Remercie en avant, Renarddumarais

It's pronounced more like Lee-Lay.

I was so surprised to find out that it is actually classified as a vermouth. If you had asked me if I liked vermouth, I would have said "no", but I love Lillet.

Interesting trivia:
This is the recipe for James Bond's martini that appears in Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, Casino Royale.

3 oz gin
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
Pour the gin, vodka and Lillet blanc into a cocktail shaker half-filled with cracked ice. Shake well, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon, and serve.

Cheers!

i love reading this thread !
i have ordered the Rosetta Stone to work on my french before my trip. we need a place just for the kind of give and take on the language. i was making notes while reading!!! it is more fun this way and your discussions of the correct way to phrase things is great!!!

Un verre du Rose por moi, merci!

Un verre de rosé pour moi ;-)